Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) toted his Latino heritage in response to President Obama's State of the Union today, saying that we need to return to small-government policies which enable immigrants and minorities to climb the economic ladder to the middle class.

Rubio said that his parents, a bartender and a housekeeper, were immigrants from Cuba who were able to become middle class thanks to limited government and the free market. He said that big government creates "uncertainty" that suppresses the ability of small businesses to succeed in the economy, which disproportionately affects Latino voters.

Not all problems can be solved by government, Rubio claimed. "Many are caused by the moral breakdown in our society," he said.

Some have suggested that Rubio's rags-to-riches story is exaggerated. Still, in a night filled with grand talk, a simple, down-to-earth message may draw attention to Rubio and his national ambitions in 2016.